“Peseiro is not the answer” – AFCON winner says Super Eagles are not ready to rule Africa in Ivory Coast

The three-time continental champions are one of the favourites to wrestle the title from reigning winners Senegal in Ivory Coast

Former Super Eagles midfielder Edema Fuludu has given Nigeria no chance of winning the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, Soccernet.ng reports.

Twenty-four countries will gather in Ivory Coast next month to fight for the biggest prize in African football.

Reigning champions Senegal, hosts Ivory Coast, World Cup semifinalists Morocco, North African giants Egypt and Algeria, and former winners Cameroon and Nigeria have been tipped as favourites to lift the AFCON trophy.

However, former Julius Berger FC ace Fuludu is convinced Nigeria should not be included in that lineup.

Fuludu, who was in the Nigerian squad that won the AFCON in 1994, believes that the Super Eagles cannot overcome the rest of the continent with head coach Jose Peseiro in charge.

The former Warri Wolves head coach cited Peseiro’s lack of commitment, lack of trust in home-based players, and poor results in recent matches as the biggest obstacles standing in Nigeria’s way to glory in Ivory Coast.

“Peseiro is not the answer, and it’s the contract that is holding him down, and that’s unfortunate,” Fuludu told the New Telegraph.

“From the way they are playing, if I use that to evaluate that means we don’t have a chance but I hope the whole thing can turn around.

“Highly rated players don’t count Super Eagles as favourite. They need a psychologist to talk the players out of their complacency and let them know that it’s not business as usual and that they cannot just stroll into the camp and play for Nigeria.”

Nigeria have been drawn in Group A at the AFCON, where they will trade tackles with hosts Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau.